VisitAberdeenshire the lead tourism agency for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in the north of the UK has confirmed the appointment of Laurie Scott as its first head of Convention and Events Bureau Scott joins VisitAberdeenshire from Visit Belfast the official tourism marketing agency for the Belfast City region and brings over 15 years of tourism experience to the position He was director of business development at Visit Belfast and helped drive an ambitious growth strategy Scott also previously held positions at VisitBritain in New York heading business tourism activity for North America before moving into a trade partnership development role Scott has also worked within Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Glasgow-based conference and association management company Meeting Makers Ltd Chris Foy chief executive of VisitAberdeenshire says Laurie brings a wealth of business events experience to the role from both a strategic and operational focus which is vital if VisitAberdeenshire is to continue to position the region as a leading conference and exhibitions destination in Europe The creation of this new role supports Aberdeen City Councils significant investment in the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre which will allow us to compete for larger more valuable business events The bureau will also support major leisure events in the city Laurie is highly regarded within the tourism industry and his experience and leadership of the convention bureau will further strengthen the VisitAberdeenshire team Scott adds There is a real excitement about what is going on in Aberdeen at the moment in and around the UK Its clear that VisitAberdeenshire has big ambitions and a clear strategy on how to deliver it Im looking forward to joining the team and hope my experience can further strengthen Aberdeens proposition as an international conference meetings and events destination VisitAberdeenshire supports bids for major business events across the region and is funded by Aberdeen City Council Aberdeenshire Council Scottish Enterprise and Opportunity North East